The present invention relates to a hood, in particular for clothing items for protective and/or military purposes, such as NBC protective suits/garments and the like. The present invention further relates to clothing items, in particular for protective and/or military purposes, such as NBC protective suits and the like, which are equipped with such a hood.
Further, the present invention also relates to the use of an elastic hem for closing out the transition between a portion of a clothing item, in particular a hood, on the one hand and a further clothing item or outfit article (equipment article), in particular a respirator, on the other.
Persons who come into contact with poisonous materials which are absorbable via the respiratory tract pathways have to protect themselves against these poisonous materials by wearing a respirator. If, in addition, there is a danger that the poisonous substances can also be taken up or absorbed via the skin or if it is part of their outfit (i.e. equipment), these persons (examples are armed forces personnel, firefighters, police personnel, members of special forces such as GSG 9, etc.) must additionally wear protective clothing, in particular NBC protective suits which prevent any contact of the poisonous materials with the skin or body and are generally equipped with a hood. The hood of such NBC protective suits can have a circumferential (i.e. orbital or peripheral), in particular elastic, hem to form a face opening which is provided to receive a respirator, the hem of the hood being intended to abut the respirator in the use state.
However, this often leads to problems, since the transition between the hood/hem on the one hand and the respirator on the other is in most cases not adequately sealed. Consequently, poisonous or perilous materials can pass through the inadequately sealed transition between hood/hem on the one hand and respirator on the other and consequently the wearer of such a protective suit will come into contact with these materials, or these materials can even pass underneath the rim of the respirator, so that they are finally inhaled. This is particularly perilous for the wearer of such a protective suit when he or she is exposed to skin contact poisons, an example being mustard gas (bis(2-chloroethyl) sulfide, also known as Hd).
The present invention, then, has for its object to provide such a clothing item, preferably for protective and/or military purposes, such as an NBC protective suit or the like, or to be more precise a hood for such a clothing item as at least substantially avoids the problems described above. In particular, the present invention has for its object in relation to such a clothing item and/or in relation to such a hood to engineer the transition between clothing item/hood on the one hand and respirator on the other such that this transition is at least substantially sealed.
This object is achieved as proposed by a hood according to what is disclosed and illustrated herein and by a clothing item according to the disclosed and illustrated invention, respectively. Further, advantageous refinements and executions form part of the subject matter of the disclosed and illustrated invention.
According to a first aspect of the present invention there is accordingly provided a hood, in particular for a clothing item, preferably for protective and/or military purposes, such as an NBC protective suit or the like, the hood comprising a circumferential (i.e. peripheral/orbital) elastic hem to form a face opening, the face opening being provided to receive a respirator and the hem abutting the respirator in the use state, wherein the side of the hem that faces into the face opening (i.e., the side of the hem's face opening which faces toward the respirator in the use state) is provided with at least one circumferential (i.e. peripheral/orbital) sealing element for closeout abutment of the respirator.
One fundamental idea of the present invention is thus to equip the above-described hood's hem which forms the face opening with at least one circumferential (i.e. peripheral/orbital) sealing element on that side of the hem which faces into the face opening, (i.e., on that side of the hem which faces toward the respirator in the use state). The result is that, in the use state, i.e., when the respirator is being worn, sealing of the transition between hood/hem on the one hand and respirator on the other is achieved or significantly improved.
In the use state, i.e., when the respirator is being worn, the sealing element rests on the respirator, creating a leakproof friction-grip connection with the underlying respirator.
The term “circumferential” (i.e. “peripheral”/“orbital” as synonyms) as used herein in relation to the hem and the sealing element is to be understood for the purposes of the present invention not only in its narrow sense but also in a wider sense. Therefore, “circumferential” (i.e. “peripheral”/“orbital”) can designate not only a state where the hem or the sealing element form a closed ring or circle, but also a state where the hem and the sealing element has two loose ends (for example when the hood comprises a closure or a closable opening), in which case the two loose ends of the hem and of the sealing element then can be placed on top of one another or be at least essentially brought together at the ends. This too shall for the purposes of the present invention also be understood as subsumed by the term “circumferential” (i.e. “peripheral”/“orbital”). What is decisive is that the circumferential sealing element is at least essentially continuous, i.e., without channels and openings, so that it can abut sealingly against the respirator.
It is particularly advantageous when the sealing element abuts the respirator at least essentially linearly, and/or the sealing element projects and/or protrudes from the hem. The at least essentially linear abutment of the respirator in the use state creates a higher contact pressure and consequently an improved closeout. To achieve an at least essentially linear abutment of the respirator by the sealing element, the sealing element must be appropriately configured.